The number of overseas visitors to Japan in 2024 exceeded 36 million, and this figure is projected to reach 40 million in 2025. It is now commonplace to see people from countries around the globe across the Japanese archipelago, and signs in English, Chinese, and other foreign languages are being posted in more and more sightseeing spots.

While this surge in inbound tourism is boosting Japan's economy, the provision of emergency information to overseas tourists in times of disaster is a real issue that must be addressed in this country prone to earthquakes, typhoons, and other natural disasters. For example, it is said that some overseas tourists are even unfamiliar with the Japanese word tsunami. In a disaster, people often turn to TV for information, making it a lifeline for many when disaster strikes. That's why efforts are now underway in TV broadcasting to create a system for providing multilingual emergency information. In this edition of NEC Stories, we will share how NEC's technology is being used to contribute to these efforts.

The first tsunami warning issued in Okinawa in 13 years: "I became keenly aware of the need to share emergency information with non-Japanese residents and overseas tourists"

AI Announcer News^* debuted on Ryukyu Asahi Broadcasting (QAB), a local TV station based in Okinawa, in January 2025. In this news program, a talking AI avatar reads the news in Japanese and English. Plans are slated to add Chinese and Korean languages in the future.

Many American military personnel are stationed on Okinawa, and inbound tourism is also steadily recovering there. The streets are now flooded with overseas tourists, and on Kokusai-dori Street, the main street in the capital city of Naha, conversations can be overheard in English, Chinese, and Korean. Despite this, little progress had been made in finding ways to provide emergency information in languages other than Japanese during times of disaster.

Amidst all this, a tsunami warning issued in April 2024 after an earthquake in Taiwan spurred an initiative to change that. The tsunami warning was the first to be issued in Okinawa Prefecture in 13 years, and it is said that there was confusion among some non-Japanese residents and overseas visitors as the tremors were not felt on Okinawa's main island, and those not fluent in Japanese were unable to understand the news broadcasts. Reflecting on what happened, Eisuke Nakata of QAB's Technical Department says, "When the tsunami warning came out, I became keenly aware of the need to share emergency information with non-Japanese residents and overseas visitors."

The recently launched English news program was made possible by the multilingual functionality of the talking AI avatar, and representatives from QAB say it is rare even for them to produce a TV program aimed at non-Japanese viewers.

Considering the use of a talking AI avatar as a newscaster: "We knew we needed to find a way to revive the evening news slot"

A shortage of personnel was the primary reason QAB began considering the use of a talking AI avatar as a newscaster. As broadcasting diversified and workstyle reforms progressed, QAB found itself unable to secure the resources needed to anchor news programs, especially those at night. This led to the last news program of the day being scheduled in the 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. time slot, which meant the broadcaster could not report any news after that. From the perspective of the mission of TV broadcasting, this had to change. According to Hiroshi Nakamura of the QAB News Production Department, "We knew we needed to find a way to revive the evening news slot."

The tsunami warning issued in April 2024 came just as QAB was deliberating what to do. While they were still mulling over the use of a talking AI avatar as a newscaster, Nakamura came to the realization that the system NEC had introduced to them, which supported 80 different languages, could also be used for reporting on disasters.

The talking AI avatar system is actually quite simple. Once the text for the manuscript has been written and input into the system, a video in which a talking AI avatar newscaster reads the manuscript is automatically created. In addition, by using machine translation, videos can be created in other languages in nearly the same amount of time as those in Japanese. One unique feature of talking AI avatar newscasters is that their lips move naturally to match what they are saying, and they can even raise their hands or make other such gestures.

As the system was being introduced, NEC adopted the DeepBrainAI system, which has a proven track record at overseas broadcasting stations. In addition to NEC's experience in building and delivering diverse broadcasting systems to broadcasting stations nationwide, it's accumulated AI expertise also contributed to the smooth progress of the introduction, and trial use began at QAB in just two months. According to Nakamura, "As the system became more and more complex, we realized that not everyone using it would be technologically savvy. It really helped to have NEC there to guide us through the process of hands-on learning."

A flood of inquiries from broadcasters across Japan: "We'd like to contribute to media's mission of equitable dissemination of information"

Several months after officially rolling out the system, the division of roles between talking AI avatar newscasters and human newscasters started to become apparent. While human newscasters are more flexible in the immediate aftermath of a disaster in which the situation is constantly changing, talking AI avatar newscasters can be used in tandem with their human counterparts to repeat non-emergency disaster information. Also, in preparation for a potential megaquake along Japan's Nankai Trough (the likelihood of which is said to be 80% within the next 30 years), which is expected to cause severe damage in Okinawa Prefecture, manuscripts for tsunami warnings and other important emergency information are now being formatted for use by talking AI avatar newscasters. Sharing his vision for the future, Nakamura says, "We also hope to utilize this system to share what is currently going on in Okinawa with not only those who live here but also people across Japan and all around the globe."

This initiative was covered by multiple media outlets after it was announced, drawing much attention. As a result, NEC has received nearly 30 inquiries from local broadcasters in Japan. Many of these broadcasters are not only interested in implementing workstyle reforms but also providing multilingual information to their viewers. Takako Nakamura of NEC's Media Department, who was involved in making this proposal to QAB, told us, "Based on the insights we gained from working with QAB, we hope to propose the use of talking AI avatar newscasters to broadcasters nationwide." She then added, "We would like to contribute to media's mission of equitable dissemination of information in any language." This goes hand in hand with NEC's Purpose of "creating the social values of safety, security, fairness and efficiency to promote a more sustainable world where everyone has the chance to reach their full potential."

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